In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. I also grow a lesser number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Glacier Queen’.
The present variety was hybridized by me in 2000 as a first generation cross using ‘Snow Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,570) peach as the selected seed parent and an unnamed yellow flesh freestone peach designated by code number ‘3P1236’ (unpatented) as the selected pollen parent. The fruit of this cross was gathered that summer, and the seeds were removed, cracked, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in my greenhouse. Upon reaching dormancy the seedlings were transplanted as a group to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2004 I selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, ‘3P1236’ (unpatented) peach, by producing peaches that are large in size, firm in texture, globose in shape, freestone in type, and mostly red in skin color, but is quite distinguished therefrom by producing peaches that are white instead of yellow in flesh color and that are sub-acidic instead of acidic in flavor.
The present variety is most similar to its seed parent ‘Snow Princess’ peach (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,570) by producing fruit that is white in flesh color, mostly red in skin color, globose in shape, freestone in type, and sub-acidic in taste, but is distinguished therefrom by having globose instead of reniform leaf glands and by producing fruit that is somewhat larger in size and that matures about twenty days later. It is to be noted that the claimed ripening time for ‘Snow Princess’ peach in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,570 was Jul. 20, 2000. It has been determined during subsequent years that the ripening time for ‘Snow Princess’ peach is usually between August 1st and August 5th, with the actually date of first pick recorded this year as Aug. 5, 2011.
The present variety is similar to ‘Pearl Princess V’ peach (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 19,919) by producing fruit that is nearly white in flesh color, mostly red to pink in skin color, freestone in type, firm in texture, globose in shape, and has a bitter tasting kernel. However, the present variety differs from the ‘Pearl Princess V’ by having globose instead of reniform leaf glands, by requiring 450 chilling hours instead of 500, by producing fruit that is somewhat larger in size, and by maturing about 56 days later.
The present variety is similar to ‘Snow Duchess’ peach (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,281) by producing fruit that is nearly white in flesh color, mostly red to pink in skin color, freestone in type, firm in texture, globose in shape, and has a bitter tasting kernel. However, the present variety differs from ‘Snow Duchess’ by having globose instead of reniform leaf glands and by producing fruit that is much larger in size and that matures about ten days later.